Volubill,
the leading provider of charging
and policy solutions, today announced that its Volubill Business
System (VBS) delivers a series of functions critical for monetizing
local break out (LBO) of data services that can help operators offer
more compelling roaming packages to consumers, benefit from forthcoming
European roaming regulations, and tap in to previously-inaccessible
subscriber groups. By uniquely combining policy control and charging
capabilities in a single solution, VBS allows operators to extend
competitive service offerings to visiting subscribers using their
existing devices via LBO with sophisticated functions like self-care
portals, real-time payment processing, instant provisioning and MVNO
hosting.

As the European Commission’s July 2014 roaming
regulations deadline to provide consumers the right to choose a
different operator for roaming draws near, a new opportunity is emerging
for European operators to monetize LBO. The regulations are intended to
provide more competition and compelling roaming packages in the European
mobile data market, but LBO monetization capabilities also present
enhanced business opportunities for operators all around the world. By
using real-time policy and charging to package services through LBO,
operators everywhere can offer visitors data roaming services more like
those offered by their home network provider, but at a more competitive
price point, and without having to change devices or SIM cards.

“The next tranche of EU roaming regulation is creating added urgency for
EU operators to enable LBO; but LBO is something all operators should be
evaluating,” says Teresa Cottam, Chief Strategy Officer, Telesperience.
“Roaming bill shock is bad for all parties. It’s a trust-killer that
generates fear and uncertainty, meaning travellers simply switch off
their mobile data connections and use WiFi alternatives, and it’s a
reputation-killer, resulting in bad publicity, complaints and churn. If
operators can get their roaming strategy and offers right, there’s
enormous additional revenue potential.

“But mobile operators have more to lose than just revenues from getting
it wrong,” adds Cottam. “They risk opening up a back door for rivals
inside and outside the industry to target their customers while roaming
– many of whom are valuable corporate travellers. Used well though, LBO
is a powerful strategic play for European operators enabling them to
transform these risks into opportunities. However, operators in other
regions may have even more to gain, because they can learn the lessons
from the EU and act ahead of their market to outflank rivals.”

The Volubill Business System enables operators to profit from local
break out for roamers by offering compelling data roaming packages using
the following key capabilities:

Offer visitors a range of personalized data and other sophisticated
value-added services and content, packaged accordingly to usage limits
or validity dates.

Dynamic charging for roaming packages where subscribers are only
charged when the package is used, and with options for dynamic auto
renewal.

Active customer usage notifications to alert subscribers before they
reach their plan limits.

Free self-care portals for subscribers to top-up, renew or adjust
their plans.

Host policy control and charging functions with full remote and
interoperable access for MVNOs and Resellers.

“LBO represents a significant revenue creation opportunity for operators
everywhere. Convincing customers who normally turn their data roaming
off the moment they land in a foreign country, out of fear of bill
shock, to instead use the service without fear, is what this is about,”
said John Aalbers, CEO, Volubill. “Many of our existing operators intend
to make LBO a new piece of their overall strategy. The revenue
opportunity is right there to be had and the appeal of this to network
users is clear and unambiguous. Giving users more direct control over
their data access and the amount they spend, particularly when roaming,
benefits everyone.”